“JUST four local lads” that recorded two number one hits in 45 minutes, The Troggs’ original bassist Pete Staples is set to reveal all the highs and lows of being in the 1960s pop/ rock band in his autobiography, Wild Thing - A Rocky Road, released yesterday (Friday).

In the memoirs, from Pete’s early life in Andover where he first followed his musical dreams while being in the Boy’s Brigade to touring with The Who and The Walker Brothers, the former rock star took to writing his stories of stardom more than 30 years on from being kicked out of The Troggs.

Pete said: “There’s never been a book written from the inside about the group and there’s a lot of tales to be told, quite embarrassing things but if you’re going to do an autobiography you have to do it!

“I just want readers to go along with my experiences of becoming famous overnight and how that effects your life, the fun that can be had and the sadness and the problems that go along with that.

“Unfortunately there’s quite a lot of swearing in it but what do you expect from a pop group?”

The 73-year-old, who now lives in the Basingstoke area, started out in bands with The Troggs lead guitarist Chris Britton from 1959, before finding success with Reg Presley and Ronnie Bond in their third musical ensemble which saw them catapulted to number one in both America and England in just nine months of being together.

The hit numbers Wild Thing and With a Girl Like You were among Pete’s fond memories before it turned sour with issues of money and his eventual ousting three weeks after he got back from his honeymoon.

Pete said: “The strange thing was they came to my wedding and we were eating and drinking and laughing and then three weeks later, bang, I was called into the office and told I was no longer required.

“I’m quite sure there’s stuff in the book people will be surprised at.

“Also, the fact we didn’t earn any money from Wild Thing in America, and being kicked out of the group left a very nasty taste in my mouth regarding the pop industry, I didn’t want anything more to do with it.”

Despite not having contact for 13 years following the boot, Pete is adamant he would not change a thing.

He added: “I’m actually glad it happened now because it’s going to make some good reading, it would be terribly boring if nothing exciting happened.”

“I’m also still with the woman I met when she was 16, travelling around and the life you lead does cause all sorts of problems, late nights, smoking, drinking, I’ve been immune to that because I was out of it and I’m grateful really, I’m still here and reasonably fit.”

Pete added he has a “hell of a lot of pride” in the legacy of The Troggs, which saw the likes of Jimmy Hendrix setting his guitar on fire while playing the band’s number one,but on the question of a late reunion tour, he replied: “No, no, we’re ancient now, I don’t know how Mick Jagger does it!”